The Elementals
by Neteri Adaar
Summary: Alexis Brandon made a wish upon the Northern Star to be part of the story of Harry Potter. Seconds later, she and her family died in a car crash. Now, she has been sent to an alternate universe to protect Harry Potter and his friends. Secrets will be uncovered, and ancient prophecies will come true! There's never a normal year at Hogwarts, is there? IN THE PROCESS OF BEING EDITED.
1. Prologue

Prologue

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><p>Alexis went into the movie theater bathroom after watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. She looked at her face in the mirror. Tear stains mixed with mascara covered her face. Alexis pulled out a tissue, poured some water on it, and wiped away the salty tears.<p>

Alexis wasn't the only person who had cried their eyes out during Snape's memories or when Harry died. Still, it had been years since Alexis had cried during a movie.

The bathroom door opened.

"Lexie! It's time to go!" said her mother impatiently.

"Coming mom," Alexis replied.

She took one last glance at her slightly puffy face. Shrugging, she followed her mom out of the bathroom. Alexis linked her arm with her mom just as they'd always done since she was a child, and they continued out to the parking lot.

They met up with her dad in the parking lot and together they got in the car and started to drive home. Alexis vaguely listened to her parents as they chatted. About what exactly, she wasn't paying enough attention to tell.

As the car sped along the road, Alexis leaned her head back against the headrest and glanced out the window. She caught sight of her reflection in the glass, and she rolled her green eyes at the traces of black eye makeup that was still slightly visible on her cheeks. It was a stupid idea to wear mascara and eyeliner to a movie that she knew was guaranteed to make her cry. But she had done it anyway.

The buildings that they had been driving past gave way to open fields. Silver light spilled onto the grass, bushes, and trees, making appear like the landscape had been doused with silver paint. Looking past her reflection, Alexis watched the constellations, tracing the shapes with her eyes until she came to Polaris, the North Star. Gaze fixed on the Northern Star, she made a wish.

_I wish to be in the world of Harry Potter, and to be one of his friends._

Every year it was the same, ever since she was a small child, Alexis would make that wish upon Polaris, her favorite star. She had always known that Harry did not really exist, nor did Sirius, or McGonagall, or Snape. However, that never stopped her from experiencing that sense of longing that she felt whenever picked up one of the books, or pressed play to one of the movies. She couldn't help it.

"So did you enjoy the film, princess?" asked her father.

Alexis smiled softly, staring out the car window as she replied, "I loved it! It was perfect."

Her father laughed a deep, booming laugh that resonated in Alexis's chest. "You and your Harry Potter stories! I'll never understand it," he chuckled, shaking his head.

"That's 'cause you're a Muggle," Alexis teased, smirking.

"So, since you two _understand_ and appreciate the Harry Potter stories, does that make you two witches?" he suggested.

Alexis's mom turned around in her seat to face her daughter, brown eyes sparkling with mischief. Everyone always said that Alexis looked almost exactly like her mother, except for the color of her eyes and hair. However, their similarities became most apparent in moments like this.

"Shh! He's discovered our secret!" she stage-whispered.

"Oh no! I guess we'll just have to obliviate him," Alexis whispered back.

"Here! Hand me your wand. I'll take care of him! You're underage," her mother replied, the mischief still apparent in her voice.

"Hey! No need to-" Alexis's father never had a chance to finish.

The blaring of a truck horn brought Alexis's full attention to an enormous semi-truck that was barreling towards their car up ahead. She felt a hand grasp hers, her mother's or her father's. She could not tell. She was caught in the blinding headlights of the oncoming truck. Vaguely, she remembered the hand giving hers a squeeze before the impact.

There was the sound of metal screeching as it was being crunched. Then, everything went black.

Alexis opened her eyes to see the night sky above her like a canopy. Blinking in confusion, she attempted to sit up from where she was lying, only to discover that she was lying down. She was _floating_. Alexis let out a panicked squeak as she realized that there was absolutely nothing solid holding her up. Nothing at all.

The sound of a siren's wail caught her attention. She looked down. Below her, there was a nasty wreck between a blue car and a semi-truck. Alexis winced at the sight of the mashed up car, hoping that the people inside were alright. Though, deep inside, she knew that they weren't.

"Hello child," a voice behind her said.

Alexis spun around in surprise. Before her stood a woman in white. Her bright green eyes sparkled with laughter and her elfin features made her look like a fairy. Soft red curls fell past her shoulders and brought out the lovely emerald in her eyes. She was beautiful.

"Who are you?" Alexis asked, cautiously. In the back of her head, she was reviewing all the methods that she knew for self-defense. However, she wasn't sure how effective those methods would be whilst being suspended in mid-air with nothing to hold her up.

The woman smiled gently.

"My name is Lily Potter," the she replied. Even her voice was lovely. "I'm here to tell you that your wish has been granted."

Alexis's brows furrowed slightly, warning bells going off in her head. This was becoming a little creepy.

"What wish? What are you talking about?" Alexis inquired tightly.

Lily cocked her head slightly to the side like an owl and gave her a strange look. It looked almost like… pity? Why would she pity Alexis?

"You don't remember, do you?" Lily whispered softly.

"Remember what?"

Her eyes widened sadly before motioning with her hand at the wreck below. An ambulance and several more police cars had gathered at the scene since the woman, Lily, had appeared. Three people were being taken out of the wreckage of the mashed up car and placed in black bags. Body bags. The people looked so familiar, especially the teenage girl with the dark red hair.

Then it hit Alexis. She was the girl. She was dead. She remembered now.

A sob tore its way from her throat. Her parents were dead. She would never see her father or mother again. Or laugh with them again. They were gone. After the first sob, she quickly dissolved into tears.

Alexis felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. She looked up to see Lily with a solemn expression. She handed Alexis a white handkerchief.

"I'm so sorry Alexis," she whispered.

"T-thank you," Alexis sniffled.

She took a moment to wipe away her tears and blow her nose before turning back to Lily. Pulling the handkerchief away from her face, she noticed that it was devoid of black. Apparently there was no makeup in the afterlife. A rather odd thing to notice of course, but, then again, the situation wasn't exactly normal.

"So, Lily Potter, are you Harry Potter's mom?" Alexis asked, desperate to take her mind off the death of her parents, even if it was only for a little bit.

Lily nodded with a slight smile.

"But… but how-"Alexis began.

"How does the world of the Harry Potter books exist? How is it possible that I exist?" Lily finished for her.

Alexis nodded, more than a little dazed.

Lily smiled. "The world described in the Harry Potter books exists in an alternate universe. Everything in that universe is the exact same as the books except for one thing."

"What?" Alexis asked.

"You. You will change everything. You are as essential to this particular universe. Without you, all will fall out of balance," Lily explained.

Alexis blinked once. Then twice. Then thrice. Then she burst out laughing hysterically. It was several minutes before she could calm down enough to notice that Lily's solemn expression had not changed, and that nobody had jumped out with a camera yelling, "Ha! Got you!" This was serious.

"Everyone seemed to get along just fine without me in the books!" Alexis protested.

Lily grimaced. "How do I explain?" she muttered to herself before continuing. "This is not the same world that you read about in the books. There is a major difference. It will not become evident until much later. However, the world is the same except for that one detail."

"Care to elaborate on that, perhaps?" Alexis asked frowning at the vague explanation. She had always hated riddles.

Shaking her head, Lily replied, "I'm afraid not."

"What if I refuse?" Alexis probed.

Lily appeared startled, as if she had not considered that option. "You will move on past this in-between place and into the afterlife. There you will join your parents." She paused and then took a deep breath. "Please consider this. If you decide to move on, you will be condemning a world to a future of pain and destruction. The choice is yours. I can't make it for you."

Alexis stood very still. Two practically impossible choices were laid out before her. On one hand, she could have her greatest wish granted. The possibility of becoming a part of the Wizarding World. One the other hand, she could be at peace with her parents forever. No more worries and no more responsibilities, all at the expense of a world's destruction. Alexis knew what her decision was.

"What must I do?" she asked quietly.

Lily's tense posture visibly relaxed and she smiled brightly.

"Protect my son, Harry. Help him. Please. Promise me that you will do these things," Lily pleaded.

"I promise," said Alexis. "One question. Uh, where will I live in this alternate universe?"

Lily chuckled.

"You are an eight year-old girl who recently moved to Little Whinging with her widower father because the company he works for sent him there. You will live next door to the Dursleys and Harry. Does that answer your question?" she replied.

Alexis nodded.

"Oh! Your name will be Elizabeth Emerson," Lily added.

"I can live with that name… I suppose," Alexis replied a little reluctantly.

"Excellent! Good luck Elizabeth," Lily said sincerely. "And do not worry. You will not be alone."

Before she could ask what she had meant by that last statement, Lily touched her hand to Alexis's forehead. Alexis felt herself being pulled away. It was like being pulled through some kind of vacuum. For a long moment, it was impossible to breathe, as if she was being squeezed through a tube. Then, it was over.

In a small bedroom in Little Whinging, Elizabeth Emerson, once Alexis Brandon, woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath. She sat up and immediately jumped out of the foreign bed. Her bare feet landed on the cool wood floor. For a long moment, she simply stood there, her mind attempting to grasp the recent events. She shook her head. It was a lot to take in.

A light breeze brought Alexis's attention to the open window beside the bed. She moved across the floor as quietly as possible, but a few boards still creaked. Alexis reached the window and stared up at the stars. She immediately found the Northern Star, Polaris.

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter. I'll honor my promise. You can rely on that," Alexis stated seriously, knowing that Lily Potter could most likely hear her.

After a few minutes, Alexis tip-toed along the wood floor back towards the bed, managing to avoid some of the extra creaky floorboards. Above the headboard in green letters, the name "Lizzie" was spelled out.

"Lizzie Emerson." Alexis clapped a hand over her throat once she noticed, for the first time, the change in her voice. Gone was the American accent, and in its place was a full-fledged British one. Not to mention, the change in pitch. After a moment, Alexis relaxed and removed the hand from her throat, shrugging.

"I can live with that," she said to herself, referring to both the name and the voice.

She climbed into her soft little bed and closed her eyes. Lizzie Emerson, once Alexis Brandon, fell asleep within minutes.

Little did she know that Harry Potter had woken up in his little cupboard after a strange dream about a pretty, red-haired girl.


	2. Chapter 1: The New Girl

**Chapter 1**

**The New Girl**

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><p>When Alexis woke up, she didn't know where she was. She was in a strange bed in a strange room. Once she realized this, she began to panic. Alexis ripped off the blankets and jumped to her feet.<p>

Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was her reflection in a full body mirror.

Then Alexis remembered.

Before the crash, Alexis had been sixteen, tall, and very fit. Now, she had the body of a skinny eight-year old. Alexis flexed a few of her muscles and grimaced at their lack of tone. Throughout all her childhood, Alexis had been outdoors going on runs, or playing whatever activity or sport that she came across. The only times her parents were able to drag her inside was for food, sleep, or reading. Obviously Lizzie had never had that sort of upbringing.

Other than the lack of fitness and height, Alexis was quite pleased with her appearance. Her skin, which in her past life had become an ocean of freckles because of all the time she spent outside, was pale and flawless like porcelain. Her hair was, and always had been, long and auburn. That was the way she liked it. Her eyes were still the same bright green they had always been.

Eight year old Alexis Brandon looked almost the exact same as eight year old Lizzie Emerson.

Nodding once in approval, she turned away from the mirror and began searching through, what she assumed was, her closet for something to wear. She selected a blue t-shirt and jeans, her typical attire, and got dressed.

She found the bathroom that was connected to her room easily enough. She strongly hoped that it was her own bathroom. Back home, Alexis had been required to share a bathroom with her younger brother, Jackson. Since he was a bit of a slob- that's putting it mildly- she had always wanted a bathroom to herself.

When she was done with her morning routine, Alexis went into the hallway and walked quietly down the stairs. A man with black hair and dark blue eyes stood in the kitchen. She could only assume it was Lizzie's father.

The man looked up at her entrance and smiled. He had a handsome face with high cheekbones and a straight nose. His black hair was short and professional looking. He was tall and thin, but he carried himself with an almost aristocratic grace.

"How was your first night in your new room?" he asked kindly.

"Great," Alexis replied with a forced smile. The man was a complete stranger to her, and yet she had to pretend as though she knew him all her life. How does one do that?

A look of relief passed over his face. He checked his watch and frowned.

"Listen, um, I got to get to work. I'm sorry I couldn't make anything extravagant for breakfast this morning. I did, however, make some fried eggs and toast for you," he said apologetically, motioning to the plate of food.

"Thanks… Dad," Lizzie said, hesitating slightly on the last word. Fortunately, the man did not seem to notice.

"No problem," he said with a smile. "Since it's Friday, you have the choice to stay home today or go to school. Personally, I'd wait until Monday. Which will it be?"

"Uh, yeah, I'll stay home. Definitely," she said.

"Good choice," he laughed.

He grabbed his briefcase and kissed her on the forehead before heading out the door. Alexis stood there in the kitchen for a long moment before shaking her head and brushing off the act of affection.

Alexis got right to her breakfast. She was cautious about testing her new parent's cooking skills at first, until she tried a piece of fried egg. To put it mildly, she was impressed. He could cook!

She wolfed down her eggs and toast and gulped down a glass of water, not caring that her speed might give her a stomach ache later. She was impatient to see Harry.

As soon as Alexis had finished cleaning her dishes, she bolted out the door into the cool spring air. The dew on the grass made her shoes a little wet, but Alexis didn't mind. As an athlete back home, she was used to much worse than getting her shoes a little moist. For a brief moment, she considered going for a run, but then decided against it. She didn't want to get lost in an unfamiliar neighborhood on her first day.

A rather large man stepped out of the house next door. He had a fat purple face with a stupid little mustache. Alexis recognized him immediately. Vernon Dursley. A tall thin woman followed him out. She had muddy blond hair and a rather horse-like face. Petunia Dursley.

Mr. Dursley gave her a slight peck on the cheek before getting into his car and driving off. Mrs. Dursley called for Dudley to leave for school.

Her high-pitched screeching voice made Alexis cringe.

An enormously fat boy with straw colored hair and a pink, pig-like face appeared. Dudley Dursley. He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, like the perfect picture of a good little boy, and started walking to school.

After Dudley was out of sight, Mrs. Dursley's smile faded. Her sharp beady eyes began to search the area for anyone who might be watching. Not wanting to be seen, Alexis ducked behind a nearby shrub and listened.

"BOY!" the infernal screeching voice of Petunia Dursley yelled, causing Alexis to flinch. It really was quite horrible. A moment later a new voice appeared.

"Yes Aunt Petunia?" asked the quiet voice of whom Alexis could only assume was Harry Potter.

"You are to stay home today and weed the garden, mow the lawn, and trim the hedge. Tomorrow morning I have an important guest from my bridge club coming over for brunch, and I want the yard to be _perfect_. I am going out to go shopping. I will be back this afternoon. Everything better be done by the time I get back or else…" she let that threat hang in the air, probably so that she could glare at the boy.

"Yes Aunt Petunia," Harry said quietly. Alexis heard Mrs. Dursley grunt and then walk to her car and drive away.

A moment later, Alexis got out of her hiding place and stood up. Harry had already started on pulling out the weeds with his hands. He wore a baggy shirt, baggy pants held up by a thick belt, shoes held together with duct tape, and round glasses held together with duct tape.

The sight of his clothes caused rage to bubble up inside Alexis. She took a deep, calming breath. Hopefully she would be able to get some new clothes for Harry that fit him. Of course, whether she could manage to convince him to accept the clothes or not was another matter entirely, especially since she was a stranger.

He was small and skinny. His jet black hair was even messier than she had ever imagined when she read the books. It looked as if someone had taken a balloon and rubbed it on his hair for several minutes.

Alexis took a step closer to get a better look. A twig snapped loudly beneath her foot. She froze, groaning internally. Harry looked up and saw her.

He stared at her with bright green eyes the same shape and color as Lily Potter's eyes. Green eyes met green. Their eyes were the same. Not similar. No. The same.

Harry stared back at the girl who had interrupted his work.

She had long fiery hair and bright green eyes very much like his own. For some reason, she seemed vaguely familiar, as if he had met her once before but had forgotten. She appeared to be frozen. Her wide eyes resembled that of a deer caught in the headlights.

The new girl next door. That was who she was.

She had the startled look of someone caught in the act of doing something nasty, like spying on the neighborhood freak. That's what everybody wanted from Harry. All everyone wanted to do when it came to Harry was laugh at his baggy clothes and big glasses, and Harry could tell that was what she wanted.

Harry narrowed his eyes and glared accusingly at her. The girl cringed and backed away looking hurt. Her big green eyes filled with tears, causing Harry to feel guilty. He hadn't meant to make her cry.

The girl turned and ran back into the house, slamming the door shut.

Maybe she wasn't there to laugh at him like all the others. Maybe she was different. It didn't matter anymore now. It was highly unlikely she would ever talk to him. Even if she did want to be his friend, Dudley would just drive her away as he did everyone else who tried to be friends with Harry.

Harry sat there, staring at the place beside the bush where the silent girl had stood. After a minute or so, he went back to work. It would not do to fall behind on his chores. Aunt Petunia would have his hide.

Alexis ran into the kitchen trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill down her face. Why was she so upset? It didn't make any sense. For some reason that she couldn't explain, when Harry had given her that look something inside snapped and she couldn't keep the tears from forming in her eyes. He hadn't even said anything, yet he didn't need to. He hated her. That much she could see in his eyes. For whatever reason, Harry Potter hated her, and she hadn't even opened her mouth.

She'd messed up. She'd messed up and she hadn't even said anything.

Alexis sat down on the linoleum flooring of the kitchen and pulled her knees up to her chest. The tears she had tried to keep from falling began to spill down her face. She couldn't stop them. It was just too much. Her parent's death. Her death. Having to live as the daughter of a stranger. Harry. It was too much.

She sat there crying for a long time. How long she sat there, Alexis did not know. A few minutes, half an hour, an hour, all morning, it didn't matter. When Alexis had stopped crying, she stood up and wiped away her tears and blew her nose in her bathroom. Then, facing her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she slapped herself. Hard.

She would not give up that easily. She would not run away crying if someone looked at her the wrong way again. She would act strong, even if it was just an illusion.

The only thing that she had truly liked about herself that hadn't changed was her inability to give up. Her stubbornness had stayed with her.


	3. Chapter 2: Decisions

**Chapter 2**

**Decisions**

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><p>That evening, Alexis was lying on her bed, staring out of her window at the night sky. The Northern Star shone brightly as always among the sea of stars. Her ears pricked up at the sound of a car engine. She jumped off the bed and raced to the window. A blue car pulled up to the Dursley's house, and Petunia Dursley stepped out of the car wearing her fake smile just in case a neighbor was to look out and see her. Which one was.<p>

Alexis hid behind the window's curtains as Petunia's beady eyes raked over the neighborhood, not wanting to be seen. She risked a glance at the skinny woman. As soon as Petunia finished her sweep of the neighborhood, she lost her pleasant expression and adopted a sour, angry one.

"Boy! Get over here!" Alexis hadn't quite heard the words, but she could tell that they had been spoken.

A moment later, Harry appeared, coming out of the shed. Even in the dark Lizzie could see that his clothes were covered in dirt and sweat. His shoulders were hunched over as if to protect himself from getting hit.

When Harry came into view, Petunia started yelling at him. Whatever for, Lizzie could not tell. The garden was well weeded, the grass was cut, and the hedge was trimmed. What was her problem?

Harry's shoulders hunched over even more. He looked so defenseless and vulnerable in that moment that Lizzie couldn't help but feel angry. Her eyes narrowed and her fingernails dug into her palms as her hands turned into fists. She had yet to meet Petunia Dursley, and already she was getting on her last nerve.

After a few minutes of yelling at Harry, Petunia grabbed his arm and pulled him inside the house.

Alexis looked up at the sky again. Her eyes found the Northern Star and she sighed. Her mission wouldn't be easy, that much was clear. Everything was like a maze cloaked in a thick fog. One wrong turn could ruin everything beyond repair. The whole thing seemed impossible.

She left the window and lay back down on her bed. It was only seven o'clock, but Alexis didn't want to stay up any longer and wait for her new dad. She had started doing calisthenics that afternoon, and, since her body wasn't up to the task, she was worn out.

Her dad. She knew absolutely nothing about the man, not even his name. She was living with a complete stranger. She would have to find out more about him. Tomorrow.

The letters above her headboard caught her eye. _Lizzie_. It wasn't a bad name. If Alexis was being perfectly honest with herself, she rather liked it. It was the same first name as one of her favorite characters, Lizzie Bennett from Pride and Prejudice. Alexis pursed her lips, then shrugged. If she was going to do this properly, she might as well go all the way.

Her heavy eyes fell shut. Lizzie Emerson was asleep within minutes.


	4. Chapter 3: New Arrival

**Chapter 4: New Arrival**

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><p>The sound of footsteps moving along the creaking wood floor startled Lizzie out of her sleep that Saturday morning. She sat up in her bed and listened. Something was off. The footsteps sounded strangely light.<p>

They moved through the hallway and then ended. The sound of a door closing nearby meant that whoever was in the house had gone into one of the rooms. Lizzie listened closely for any other sounds, but there were none. Lizzie suddenly felt very foolish for worrying. The footsteps must have belonged to her dad. Although she thought he would have made more noise.

The sound of water running in a sink came from Lizzie's bathroom. She jumped out of her bed, fully awake and slightly alarmed. Lizzie began to tip-toe as silently as she could towards her bathroom door. After a few seconds, her small hand closed around the cold metal doorknob. She turned it and found that it was unlocked. After taking a deep breath to calm herself, Lizzie threw open the door. What she saw made her freeze in shock.

Standing in her bathroom, wearing Sponge bob pajamas and with a mouth full of toothpaste, was Jackson Brandon, Alexis's little brother. His mousy brown hair and his bright green eyes so much like her own were unmistakable. He jumped several feet in the air when he saw her. His green eyes turned wide with surprise and shock and his mouth fell open. Unfortunately that action caused his toothbrush to fall out of his mouth, but he didn't seem to notice. He was staring at Lizzie.

"L-Lexie?" gurgled Jackson with a mouth full of toothpaste.

If Lizzie hadn't been so shocked at her little brother's sudden appearance in her bathroom, she would have laughed at the ridiculous picture of him standing there in his pajamas with an open mouth full of toothpaste.

"Jackson? Is that really you?" whispered Lizzie. Jackson closed his mouth and nodded.

Lizzie's eyes grew wet as a smile spread across her face. She closed the distance between them and threw her arms around him. Her little brother was there with her. She silently prayed that it wasn't just a dream.

Almost immediately Jackson recovered from his shock and started to struggle to free himself from her hug. He was succeeding.

"Ger'off!" he protested in a muffled voice. He broke free and backed away several feet. His face was red with embarrassment.

"What's with you?" Lizzie said angrily.

The embarrassed look turned to one of indignance.

"What do you mean 'what's wrong with me'? What's wrong with _you_? Why'd you hug me for? Have you gone mental or something?" squeaked Jackson.

"What's wrong with me?" Lizzie said in a low, dangerous voice. "Let me guess. This should take a while. Uh, I died in a car crash with mum and dad and then was thrown into this universe where I know practically no one. You're the first familiar face from back home that I've seen and you bloody ask what's wrong with me for hugging you? What!" Lizzie's voice had been getting steadily louder throughout her rant and by the time she had finished, her voice was a shriek.

Jackson immediately backtracked. He threw up his hands as if to try to protect himself from getting hit.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry!" he apologized quickly. "You just startled me, that's all."

"Apology accepted," said Lizzie a little stiffly. Then after a pause, she added, "What are you doing here?"

Jackson turned to the sink and spit out his toothpaste and quickly rinsed his mouth before turning back to Lizzie.

"It's a long story," he said, scratching the back of his neck, something he always did when he was nervous.

Lizzie narrowed her eyes slightly.

"We have time," she pointed out.

He glanced out the door into the hallway and then turned back to Lizzie.

"Later," he said shortly.

Jackson had the stubborn look in his eyes that often meant that he wasn't going to give in anytime soon. Lizzie sighed.

"Then what's the story? Are you a cousin coming to visit or something?" she inquired.

He smiled and held out his right hand. "Nathan Emerson at your service. I'm your fraternal twin brother in this world. I was staying with Aunt Susan for a few days to help her take care of a few projects on the farm. Dad picked me up at the train station and brought me home late last night." He paused for a moment and pretended to look thoughtful. "I believe that's all."

Lizzie stood there staring at Jackson-no, Nathan in shock. Her brother would be there to help her! Jackson had never been a huge fan of the Harry Potter series but he had read the all of the books and he knew what was supposed to happen.

"Nathan! Lizzie! I'm off to work! I'll be back at five!" their father's voice shouted from downstairs.

"Uh, bye dad!" Jackson-NO, stop that- Nathan yelled back. He looked at me expectantly.

"Bye!" Lizzie called back halfheartedly.

"There's breakfast on the table for when you come down! See you two this afternoon!" The door downstairs shut and then all was quiet.

Lizzie was about to say something when Nathan suddenly announced that he was hungry and was going to get breakfast. At that he zoomed out of the bathroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Lizzie rolled her eyes and grabbed her own toothbrush to brush her teeth. When she was done, she followed him.

Nathan sat at the kitchen table in his Sponge bob pajamas wolfing down the pancakes on his plate. Lizzie tried to hold it in, but she failed miserably. Laughter spilled out of her mouth like a volcano. Nathan paused to look up at Lizzie, his mouth bulging with pancake. Lizzie's laughter doubled in intensity and she fell to the ground, rolling in laughter.

"Wha's wong?" he mumbled through his mouthful of pancakes.

"Y-you… "she managed to wheeze out.

"What about me?" Nathan asked after swallowing his mouthful.

Lizzie quieted down somewhat after a minute and she managed to sit up. "You just looked so comical and silly to me, that's all." She explained.

Nathan shrugged and turned back to his breakfast. Lizzie grabbed a plate and piled a few pancakes on it. After spreading some butter and jam on top, she began to eat, much more slowly than Nathan.

The roar of a car's engine starting up nearby made both Lizzie and Nathan pause and look up. It sounded like it was coming from the Dursley's driveway.

"Is it true that Harry Potter and the Dursley's live next door?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah. How did—"she began.

"Later. I promise." Nathan interrupted.

Lizzie sighed. It was pointless to argue with Nathan when his mind was made up.

"Well, I'm not going to stay in my pajamas all day. I'm going to go upstairs and get changed." Lizzie stood up and rinsed off her plate in the sink. After she was done Lizzie ran upstairs.

She tore open her closet and yanked out a pair of jeans and a brown long sleeved t-shirt. She got dressed quickly and pulled on her socks and shoes. When she was done Lizzie ran downstairs. Nathan was gone, but his empty plate was still on the table. Lizzie sighed in annoyance and took the plate to the sink to rinse it.

After a few minutes, Nathan appeared in a pair of jeans and a blue shirt.

"Come on. Let's go!" he said beckoning me towards the door.

Lizzie hesitated. Would Harry still be angry at her again? She mentally shook herself. Hiding would probably make it worse. But…still.

Lizzie followed Nathan out the door. It was cloudy outside but warm. Three people stood in the Dursley's front yard. Well, two people really. The third person was kneeling on the ground spreading new mulch into the flowerbeds. Harry. Dudley stood nearby with another boy, flicking pebbles at Harry's head. The boy had brown, mousy hair, and a very rat-like face. Piers. Every time one of them managed to hit Harry with a pebble, they would high-five and laugh.

"Nathan?" Lizzie asked with forced calmness to her voice.

"What?" he asked, his voice quivering with barely contained rage.

"Can I kill them?" she asked sweetly.

"I was about to ask the same thing," Nathan responded.

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><p><em>A.N. Next up: Harry meets Nathan and Lizzie for the first time! What do you think Lizzie and Nathan should do about Dudley and Piers? Review!<em>

_What do you think of Nathan? Should I keep him in the story? Review, review, and review some more!_

_See you guys later!_


	5. Chapter 4: Meeting Harry

**I do not own Harry Potter. I wish I did 'cause it's AWESOME! Unfortunately it belongs to JK Rowling.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Meeting Harry<strong>

Nathan's fists were so tightly clenched that the knuckles had turned white. His eyes were cold and angry.

"Come on. Let's give Harry a hand," he said. Lizzie nodded stiffly.

"I have a plan," Lizzie said with an evil smile.

"The usual one?" he asked

Lizzie just smiled broader.

Nathan took one look at her face and shuddered.

"Poor Dudley and Piers," he murmured.

The two of them crept around the bushes that separated their property from the Dursley's. They silently moved closer to Dudley, Piers, and Harry. Neither Dudley nor Piers noticed them approach. They were too occupied with their game. The next shot hit Harry's glasses and sent them flying off his face and onto the ground not two feet away from Lizzie and Nathan. The two fiends laughed raucously while Harry blindly searched for his glasses. Dudley and Piers were so engrossed in watching Harry's attempts to find his glasses that they didn't notice Lizzie or Nathan.

Nathan picked up the circular glasses held together by duct tape and held them up.

"Looking for this?" Nathan said to Piers and Dudley.

Harry, Dudley, and Piers all spun around to see the two strangers. Harry squinted at Nathan before his unfocused gaze turned to Lizzie. He squinted harder and said nothing.

"Who are you?" demanded Dudley. His porky face was beet red as he glared at the intruders.

"Yeah, who are you?" echoed Piers in a high, nasally voice that vaguely reminded Lizzie of Petunia Dursley.

"Shall we tell them who we really are?" asked Nathan. Lizzie looked up at him and smiled evilly again. This would be fun.

"I'm Nathan Emerson," he began.

"And I'm Lizzie Emerson," continued Lizzie.

"We're from the planet Circe in the galaxy Andromeda-"

"-and we came to Earth to punish a Dudley Dursley and a Piers Polkis-"

"-for crimes against humanity and the-"

"-punishment is death by painful methods that you-"

"-cannot-"

"-imagine," finished Lizzie.

Dudley and Piers were staring stupidly at them, obviously trying to figure out whether to believe them or not. Harry was shaking with silent laughter as he watched the scene unfold. Lizzie and Nathan stood up straight and kept their faces completely blank, a skill that had taken them a long time to acquire.

"How do we know you're from another planet?" Piers questioned.

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><p>Harry looked back at the red-haired girl. He couldn't see her expression very well but he could tell that she was having trouble holding back her laughter too.<p>

"Because of this." She hissed at them.

Through the haze, Harry saw a flash of red—red hair—move towards Piers. Piers yelped in pain as he his arm was twisted around behind his back and he was forced to his knees.

"You believe me now?" she whispered menacingly.

Piers called for Dudley to help him, but Nathan stepped in front of Dudley, blocking the way. Dudley's eyes moved back and forth between Nathan and Piers.

"Get lost," Nathan snarled.

There were two loud cracks. Harry watched in shock as a big branch from a nearby tree broke off by itself and flew sideways into Dudley's head. Dudley howled in pain as his hands went up to cover the huge, red welt that was forming on the side of his head. Staggering slightly, he ran away, down the street.

Harry's head whirled around to where the red-haired girl was still holding Piers. She let go of his arm, and Piers began to follow Dudley. Before he could get too far away, she kicked him in the butt. Flames appeared on the spot where she kicked him, and Piers screamed. He ran around wildly, yelling and trying to put out the fire on his butt.

Harry couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, and he wasn't alone. The two kids who had saved him were rolling around on the ground, giggling. Soon after, tears of laughter were streaming down all of their faces.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked, still giggling.

"M-magic," the girl said with a strange tone to her voice. It sounded almost… astonished.

Harry's eyes widened and he sat up straighter.

"Really?"

Nathan sat up and handed over Harry's glasses to him. Harry took them and put them on. The world went back into focus. Nathan and the girl were now standing up. The girl stood behind Nathan. Nathan held out his hand to help Harry up. Harry took it and stood up. Once up, he looked at the girl expectantly.

"Were you being serious about magic?" Harry asked excitedly.

Her green eyes met his and she looked deadly serious. Harry stared. He hadn't noticed how pretty the color of her eyes was. Nathan's voice knocked him back to reality. He could feel his ears turn pink.

"Hello, I'm Nathan, and this is my little twin sister, Elizabeth," he said with a smile. Elizabeth glared daggers at him.

"First of all, Nathan, I'm older than you. Second, don't call me ELIZABETH! I'm LIZZIE!" she said angrily to her brother.

Nathan threw up his arms in surrender.

"Okay, okay. Sorry," he turned back to Harry. "This is my _older_ twin sister, _Lizzie_." He turned back to Lizzie. "Happy now?"

She smiled, "Immensely."

Nathan stuck his tongue out at her and she rolled her green eyes at him. They both turned back to Harry.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter," he said.

"Nice to meet you Harry!" the twins chorused.

Harry smiled. They had meant what they said.

This was just the beginning of the friendship between Harry Potter and the Emerson twins.

Harry was never bothered by Dudley and his friends again. When Dudley heard that the two alien kids who beat him up were living next door and that they best friends with Harry, he stopped bullying him and he stayed away from Harry as much as possible. After a _friendly_ message from the twins was given to Dudley, he made sure that his mother never found out about Harry's friendship with the twins.

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><p><em>A.N. Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School has been hectic!<em>

_And as always, review! Review! Review! And review some more!_

_Have a Merry Christmas!_


	6. Chapter 5: The Birthday part 1

**I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own Lizzie and Nathan.**

**Chapter 6: The First Birthday Part 1**

Lizzie put the last touch of icing on the cake and stepped back to examine her work. It was a large chocolate cake with little blue balloons, "Happy Birthday Harry" written in red, and one failed attempt at a snitch. Once she had realized that she couldn't make an icing snitch, she gave up and tried to make it look like a yellow balloon. That failed too.

Lizzie sighed.

Her dad, Andrew, came into the kitchen carrying a box wrapped in red with a blue ribbon. He took one look at the cake and his lips pressed into a thin line. His face turned slightly pink. Lizzie knew that he was having a hard time not laughing.

"Well? What do you think?" Lizzie asked with a smile.

He cleared his throat and paused before saying, "It's-um-very nice. What's that yellow thing?"

"A balloon," she replied.

Andrew smiled in amusement. "It's a start," he said, trying to be encouraging.

Nathan chose that moment to make an appearance in the kitchen. He too was carrying a present. Nathan squinted at the cake. He turned his gaze to Lizzie.

"Is that a snitch?" he asked.

Lizzie glanced at Andrew in alarm. He didn't know about magic. Fortunately he hadn't been paying a lot of attention to what they were saying, but at the word 'snitch', his head snapped up.

"What did you say?" Andrew's dark green eyes were searching Nathan's face. An odd, unreadable expression was on his face.

Nathan looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He sent a pleading look to Lizzie. Turning back to Andrew, he opened his mouth and began to stammer.

"He asked if it was a balloon," Lizzie lied.

Andrew shrugged and went to hide his present. Nathan let out a long, relieved sigh.

"That was close!" he said as he sat down at one of the bar stools.

"Too close. You need to be more careful!" she said seriously. "We can't let him know that we know about magic. It might cause some questions that'll put us in a very awkward situation." Lizzie put the tube of icing down and scowled at Nathan. "I don't want us to end up in a mental institution! Do you?" she growled.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay! I'll make sure that I don't slip up again. I just wasn't thinking!" Nathan said.

"That happens a lot," she mumbled. Nathan began to protest, but she cut him off. "I'm sorry, it's just… I don't know! Hang it all! I'm worried that we'll mess up in one little detail and ruin everything! Too many lives are at stake! What if—," she never got to finish her nervous rant. Nathan had gotten off the stool, walked around the counter, and clapped his hand over Lizzie's mouth.

"First of all," he whispered. "Andrew can probably hear what you're saying. Second, why do you think I'm here?" Nathan removed his hand.

Lizzie paused. "To help protect Harry," she said after a moment.

"True," he admitted. "But do you know how I came to be here in the first place?"

Lizzie glared at him. "You said that you'd tell me ages ago. You never did!"

Nathan shrugged. "Didn't think it was the right time just yet. But as I was saying, the reason I wanted to come here is because I knew that you couldn't do this without me."

"Wait, how did you know that I was even here? I died. You didn't," Lizzie looked into Nathan's unusually serious face. A horrible thought entered her mind. "You didn't, right?" she whispered slowly.

He shook his head grimly. "I wanted to," Nathan paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "When you and mum and dad died, I was all alone. My entire family was gone. When I went to bed that night I prayed to any god that would listen to send me to where you guys were." He paused again to take another deep breath. Tears began to fill his eyes, but they didn't fall. Lizzie wanted to hug him, but he went on.

"When I woke up, I was floating above the house. Lily Potter was there." A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "She said that I had the choice of leaving and coming here to help you, or staying. I think you know which one I chose," he said with a bit of playful sarcasm. Lizzie smiled and nodded.

"But my point is, I wanted to come here, not just because the world of Harry Potter is unbelievably awesome, al though that is a major factor, but because I knew that the two of us could pull it off together as a team. If one of us messes up, the other can bail the one out like what you just did," Nathan smirked suddenly. "After all, you'll get into heaps of trouble without my expert advice and knowledge about Harry Potter."

Lizzie snorted and smacked his arm. "Just keep telling yourself that and then maybe you'll believe it," she teased.

"I don't need to. It's true," Nathan continued.

"Yeah, and pigs jump over the moon too."

"It's cows."

"Whatever."

The doorbell chose that moment to ring. The twins glanced at each other. It rang again. Lizzie immediately started hiding the cake in the refrigerator while Nathan went to hide his present.

"Someone get the door! It's probably Harry!" Andrew's voice called from upstairs.

"I got it!" yelled Lizzie. She closed the refrigerator door, took off her apron, and threw the icing materials in the trash can. The doorbell rang again.

"Get the bloody door!" this time it was Nathan.

"Coming!" Lizzie called.

She sprinted over to the door and pulled it open. It wasn't Harry. It was Petunia Dursley. And she did not look very happy at all.

_A.N. Hey guys! I'm sorry if this isn't very good. I writing this chapter at around one in the morning and I'm about to fall asleep where I sit. _

_You all know the drill. Review! Review! Review! And review some more! Leave me any ideas, comments, or questions that you have and I'll try to update sometime very soon._

_In the meantime, Happy New Year!_

_Goodnight!_


	7. Chapter 6: The Birthday part 2 & a half

_Me: Yay! I own Harry Potter!_

_JK Rowling: Uh, no you don't. I do._

_Me: You're mean!_

_JKR: You're obsessed!_

_Me: (sighs dreamily) So true._

_JKR: You still don't own Harry Potter._

_Me: Maybe not, but I do own Lizzie and Nathan. So, HA!_

**Chapter 7: The Birthday Part 2 1/2**

Petunia Dursley stood on the doormat, her arms were crossed and her beady eyes were narrow. Her general facial expression strongly reminded Lizzie of someone who had just drunk a cup of unsweetened lemonade. Although her sudden appearance surprised Lizzie she tried to stay polite.

"How may I help you Mrs. Dursley?" Lizzie asked with a touch of fake sweetness coloring her tone. Fortunately for Lizzie's eardrums, Mrs. Dursley didn't seem to notice.

"I came here to inquire as to why my nephew will be coming here for the evening," she said, drawing herself up in an attempt to look intimidating. It would've worked on most nine year-olds, but Lizzie thought that she looked really silly. Then again, most of her mind was that of a sixteen year-old.

"Um, excuse me?" she asked. _What is she getting at? _wondered Lizzie.

Mrs. Dursley looked a bit indignant at being misunderstood. Her face turned a bit red and her beady eyes flashed with annoyance.

"Why is my nephew invited to come here tonight? He says that he doesn't know why he's been invited over. Is there some sort of party going on?" she asked with forced patience.

Suddenly it hit her. Lizzie knew what she wanted. With that knowledge came anger. Lizzie thought fast. She could tell her the truth and destroy everything, or-. The crafty Slytherin deep down smiled in anticipation while the loyal Gryffindor inside cringed.

_Better be Slytherin!_ she thought dryly.

"Oh, no! I would never invite that freak to a party!" Lizzie said, arranging her expression to a look of disgust. The amount of self-disgust that she felt inside as she continued made it easy to obtain that face. The voice was especially easy. "He would ruin it! Oh, no! We were planning on having him come over to clean the house. You know, dusting the furniture, cleaning the bathrooms and the stove. That sort of stuff. Is that alright with you?" She plastered a winning smile on her face. It was very painful.

Petunia Dursley was delighted. The thought of Harry coming to a supposed friend's house to clean seemed to deeply satisfy her.

"Oh! Yes, that's just fine!" her excited, high-pitched screech made Lizzie want to run and hide somewhere dark and cover her ears. "Now, will he be paid?" Petunia's beady eyes held a gleam that Lizzie recognized to be greed.

Petunia's question had momentarily caught her off guard. She wanted to steal Harry's money! The thought made Lizzie grow pale with anger. She had never liked Petunia Dursley whilst reading the books, but she had never thought that she was this bad!

Lizzie quickly collected herself and came up with a reply. "Oh! Well, we were thinking that the payment would have to depend on the quality of finished results." She added as an afterthought, "Can't have freaks like him get something he doesn't deserve!"

At that moment, Lizzie became a godsend in the eyes of Petunia Dursley. Every doubt about her seemed to be washed away. Petunia beamed at Lizzie as she agreed to let Harry come over in about a half an hour.

As the horse-faced woman left, Lizzie shut the door and slid down to the floor, feeling terrible. She covered her face with her hands and groaned. The things she had said played over and over in her head, making her nauseous.

"Lizzie? What's wrong? Are you sick?" asked a very concerned Nathan. Lizzie lifted her head from her hands and scowled in his general direction.

"I feel bloody terrible," she said.

"Maybe you should go lie down for a minute," suggested Nathan.

Lizzie snorted and shook her head. "It's not that kind of terrible," she muttered.

There was a pause.

"Who was that at the door?" her mousy-haired twin asked.

"Petunia Dursley," she spat with venom.

"What did she want?" Nathan asked cautiously.

Lizzie glared at a tissue box that was sitting on the kitchen countertop as if it was the person in question. She began to mentally curse and hex the poor box, imagining all sorts of nasty things happening to it. Nothing happened, but it felt good.

"She wanted to know if Harry was coming to a birthday party. She must have remembered it was his birthday and put 2 and 2 together. The vile woman was going to keep Harry from coming to his own birthday party!" Lizzie snarled at the tissue box, imagining it bursting into flames. It did just that. Nathan ran to the sink, filled a glass with water and threw the water on the flames. It went out and a cloud of steam and smoke rose into the air.

Nathan looked up from the mess and glared at Lizzie. "Nice job Lex. This is going to be easy to explain to Andrew," he whispered sarcastically.

Lizzie glared back as she stood up and grabbed the trash can. With her hand, she began to sweep the cooling ashes into the trash can. Nathan handed a towel to her. She took it and used it to wipe up the extra bits of ash. Before long, the evidence of any sort of fire was gone.

Lizzie sighed and sat down on the bar stool, feeling even more ashamed than before. She had had to insult her friend Harry behind his back, and now she had just lost control and made something catch on fire. The gods didn't seem to like her today.

She set her head on the table and closed her eyes. Lizzie heard Nathan shuffle to one of the bar stools next to hers and sit down on it. There was another pause.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

Sighing again, she picked her head up and told her twin what she had said to Mrs. Dursley.

"I called him a freak! Friends don't do that!" Lizzie cried

Lizzie felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Nathan. He looked almost amused.

"You see everything in black and white with no shades of grey," he teased before turning serious. "You did what was best. If Harry knew what you did he would not be upset with you in the slightest. You know that. You're just being silly!"

"I know! It's just... Alright! I'll let it go," Lizzie agreed.

Nathan smiled and hopped off the stool. "Excellent! Now, back to the more important matter at hand. What are we going to do about that mutilated balloon?"

Lizzie shrugged. "Remove it?" she suggested.

"Probably a good idea. Why did you decide to make a snitch?" he asked. "Harry doesn't know about Quidditch yet."

"I don't know. I guess I thought that when we go to Hogwarts and he becomes the seeker he'd remember the snitch that was on his first birthday cake or something like that. It felt like a good idea at the time," Lizzie explained.

Nathan gave her a look and said, "Who remembers their birthday party from two years ago?"

"_You_ should," boomed a deep voice from the bottom of the staircase. It was Andrew. He strode over to the kitchen table and sat on one of the stools. He fixed Nathan with an amused look and said, "Two years ago on your seventh birthday, it snowed up to 24 inches. The power went out and I was unable to bake a cake. The two of you complained that it was the worst birthday ever. Surely you remember _that_!"

Lizzie and Nathan glanced at each other and shook their heads at the same time.

"You don't! How can you not remember that!" he paused and sniffed the air. His brow furrowed. "Wait, is that smoke?"

Lizzie was about to say something when Nathan cut in. "We were lighting candles."

Andrew's voice took on a serious tone. "And why were you playing with candles without supervision?" Nathan sent another pleading look to Lizzie. She was about to say something when she was cut off _again_. This time it was the doorbell.

"This isn't over," he warned Nathan before turning to open the door.

"I would've told him that it was the oven making the smoke," Lizzie muttered to Nathan.

"Then why didn't you?" he whispered back.

Lizzie glared at him for a moment before looking away.

In the doorway of their house for the first time, stood Harry Potter.

_A.N. I started writing this last night and then I picked it up this afternoon. I wanted to finish the birthday part 2, but my creative energies stopped working by the time I got to the last sentence. I'll update as soon as I can._

_Thank you so much for all of your reviews, comments, and suggestions! The more reviews I get, the more I write. You know the drill. Review! Review! Review! And review some more!_

_I'll see you next year!_


	8. Chapter 7: The Birthday Party Final Part

**Don't own. Never did. Never will. Except for my two OCs. They're mine. All mine. Muahahaha!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: The Birthday Part 22**

"Ah! There you are, Harry!" Andrew exclaimed, shooting Harry a friendly smile. "Come in!"

Harry hesitated. His fingers played with the hem of his oversized and threadbare shirt as he stood there in the doorway. Then, after a moment, Harry shuffled into the house, his eyes fixed on his sneakers that were held together solely by duct tape. Lizzie had a feeling that she knew exactly why he was acting this way, and that knowledge made her feel even worse.

The phone rang shrilly from the other room, drawing Andrew from the room, muttering something about work. This left Harry, Lizzie, and Nathan alone together. In silence.

"Where would you like me to start?" Harry asked quietly, his voice breaking ever so slightly. He still did not look up from his shoes.

Finally, Lizzie couldn't take it anymore. With a small sob, she sprinted forward and engulfed the smaller child in a tight hug, causing said child to emit a surprised squeak.

"I'm so sorry! I had to tell your aunt that you would be doing work for us, or she wouldn't have let you come," Lizzie cried, feeling like a huge weight was being lifted off her chest as she spoke.

"W-what? Why?" Harry asked in confusion, his arms pinned to his sides.

"Happy Birthday Harry," Lizzie said as an explanation.

"Yeah, we made you a cake and everything!" Nathan said cheerfully, and then added as an afterthought, "Well, Dad and I made the cake. Liz did the sucky decorations."

Lizzie released the frozen boy and immediately started swatting at Nathan, who squeaked in surprise before running around the kitchen in an effort to shield himself from his sister. It didn't work, as she merely followed him.

"Take it back! I worked hard on those!" Lizzie demanded. "And don't call me that!"

Lizzie's demands only seemed to amuse her younger brother, as he broke into peals of laughter. He slowed just enough for her to catch up to him and continue her brother's punishment.

"I was just kidding, Lizzles!" Nathan exclaimed, chuckling. "I swear."

Her eyes narrowed at the nickname, but she stopped attacking him. She glared at her brother with her hands on her hips. Nathan just rolled his eyes at her antics.

"Fine. _Lizzie_," he caved. Lizzie merely smirked and crossed her arms smugly.

A small and disbelieving voice came from the other side of the room. "You made me a birthday cake?"

Nathan and Lizzie's eyes snapped around to where Harry was still standing rooted to the ground in shock. His bright green eyes were equally parts disbelieving and hopeful as he stared at the two of them, trying to figure out if they were pulling his leg or not.

Lizzie's heart constricted as she realized that even after all the wonderful times she and Nathan had had with Harry over the last few months, after all the effort that the two of them had made in order to convince Harry he mattered, he still didn't believe it. Harry just didn't seem to be able to understand that, yes, he had friends who cared about him. And it was all the Dursley's fault. Just thinking about that horrid family made Lizzie feel sick to her stomach.

"No. We just had a weird craving for a chocolate cake that said "Happy Birthday Harry" in green icing," Nathan deadpanned. Lizzie's lips pursed, and she punched her brother in the arm.

"OW!" he exclaimed, rubbing the spot. "Sibling abuse! I have a witness! Harry, get the police!"

Lizzie rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to reply, but she stopped when she heard a giggle come from behind her. She turned to see Harry snickering behind his hands. At the sight, her annoyance melted away and she smiled broadly, allowing a giggle to escape her own mouth.

"You guys really did make me a cake?" Harry asked once the laughter had died down.

"Of course!" Lizzie and Nathan replied, unconsciously, at the same time.

Harry stood completely still, staring at them with an unreadable expression on his face. Then, in a flash, he had crossed the distance between them and threw his arms around the twins and brought the three of them into a group hug. The uncharacteristic display of affection from Harry caught Lizzie and Nathan off guard momentarily, but they soon adjusted and hugged him back.

"Thank you." The words were muffled, but still recognizable. Lizzie smiled, feeling tears prick at her eyes again. For not the first time, or the last, she found herself cursing the Dursleys.

The doorbell rang, breaking the moment. They all pulled back at once in surprise, their arms still linking them together in a weird triangle. For one horrible moment, Lizzie thought that it was Petunia Dursley and that she had figured out her plan. She froze, and her face went pale.

Andrew appeared out of what seemed like nowhere, but it was actually the living room, and he rushed to the door with his wallet in hand. A moment later, he appeared with two pizza boxes and a sheepish expression.

"I didn't have time to make a proper feast. And for that I am very sorry," he apologized to Harry. "However, I did get that deep dish pizza that you love."

Harry beamed up at Andrew, obviously not minding that he had not made a huge feast, but that did not stop Andrew from continuing to apologize. It wasn't until Harry assured him that it was perfectly fine, more than fine, did he finally relent.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Harry just grinned broadly at him. "Mr. Emerson, this is the best birthday that I've ever had. Thank you so much, sir!" Andrew seemed surprised at this, but he let it go.

It wasn't long after the pizza had been served that Andrew made his exit, claiming that he had a large amount of paperwork that he needed to finish. Thus, Harry, Lizzie, and Nathan were left alone together.

It was a nice feeling, the three of them together. As they joked, and played games, and chatted about everything and nothing, Lizzie could not help but feel a sense of dread. She caught Nathan's eye, and, at that moment, she knew that he understood. They both knew exactly what was supposed to happen in the future. How messed up the future had become by their intervention, it was difficult to say. But for now, they were going to enjoy these little moments before they had to face the consequences. There was nothing else they could do.

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><p><strong>AN: Uh... hehehe... hi guys! Did you miss me? *dodges flaming piles of smelly stuff that won't be ever elaborated on***

**I'm really sorry about the wait! Two years is a _long_ time to not have any idea what to write about. I sort of had a falling out with the Harry Potter universe, and I just couldn't get back into it. But now I'm BACK! Yay! **

**So, to readers, old and new, please, please, please, _please_ review! Tell me what you think! Hopefully my writing has improved at least a tiny bit after two years.**

**As always, I love criticism, as long as it is helpful and not simply a rant about how stupid I am or something equally useless. Those never do any good.**

**I'll see you guys around Christmas time!**


	9. author's note: important, please read

**Author's Note;**

**Yeah, I'm doing one of those. Just to be clear, I'm not abandoning the story, nor do I plan on going on another crazily long, unannounced hiatus again. I simply want to announce that I'm going to be going over the earlier chapters and making them look a little prettier. My writing style has changed a great deal in the past two years, and I'd like to update the style on my older chapters.**

**So, I might not update with a new chapter for a few weeks, but I will have, hopefully improved chapters, uploaded during the month. It shouldn't take too long before I update with a new chapter, though. Never fear!**

**Oh! I'm planning on changing the title of this story soon. How does "The Elementals" sound? Or "The Elementalists"? I'm just toying with ideas right now. Please be sure to tell me what you think. I'd really appreciate it.**

**Whew! Hopefully I won't have to write anymore of these in the future. **

**And, as always, make sure to leave a comment in the review box below. They're always appreciated, and they inspire me to write faster. No, really, they do. I'll see you guys soon!**


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